Parents - Argh!!!

[Veronica]

We have a special event today at school. It's been on the class website since the beginning of Feb. It's been prominent in my weekly newsletter (which is part of the weekly progress report!) for just as long.

The office is still getting parents calling to ask what time it is!

Maybe tattos on the child's forehead is the way to go.

Veronica

[hebe]

dd goes to nursery every morning in termtime. Last Wednesday I dropped her off with the appropriate object for "Show and tell" which was something beginning with "c". There's a poster telling us all what letter and what day outside. Anyway, the room leader looked at me blankly, as did the other staff, and I felt stupid. I asked them again today as dd loves show and tell, and they apologised for forgetting last week. It's not just the parents...

[zoom-zoom]

My son's school LOVES to spring things on us at the last minute...all the time. A fundraiser tomorrow night that they just e-mailed us about 20 minutes ago. And a parents' night out event (middle school fundraiser - parents pay $5/kid for 3 hours while the middle school kids entertain the younger kids) for this Friday. We already have plans, unfortunately.

They also love to spring $$ field trip plans requiring payment with less than a week to pay. It's not been a financial hardship for us, but I know it is for a lot of families and having so little time to come up with the cash is a struggle.

[Veronica]

I hear what you guys are "sayin" but I've been telling these parents for 2.5 months! That's not last minute.

Veronica

[Crankin]

Fundraisers planned with no notice are the parent group at work. School personnel don't run these things. As far as field trip notices, the trip has probably been publicized in newsletters and web sites for awhile. If you send them home with too much time, they never come back.
My experience, now that I am in another field, is that most people have no organizational or time management skills. One of the people I graduated with was already fired for not doing her paperwork in a timely manner.

[zoom-zoom]

As far as field trip notices, the trip has probably been publicized in newsletters and web sites for awhile.

Nope, every time we've gotten a notice this year it has come with an apology..."sorry for the short notice." I've almost stopped reading the newsletter, since there's never anything new in there (and the school website is never updated). All the important stuff comes home in DS's backpack or in specific e-mails from his teacher. I really like his teacher and the school, but compared to his previous über type-A teacher I always feel like we're not getting any advanced notice for most of what they're doing in the classroom or class events. A friend of mine pulled her DD from the school, since they are cash-strapped and they couldn't deal with never having enough notice to pay for things. We love the Montessori instruction, but the school has never been good about communication in the 5 years that our son has attended.

[Savra]

Ok, I will admit to being one those parents who just can't remember when things happen. My niece (who I'm taking care of) has suggested a big calendar to put in the kitchen but I have poo pooed it like an idiot. I don't know why I can't remember - except that I do have a lot of things on my mind. I will just take this moment to apologize for all distracted parents everywhere. I sympathize with your plight.

[lph]

Ok, to be honest I understand the parents. If they didn't remember there WAS a special event I'd agree they were being clueless, but not remembering the time isn't that unusual. At any given time a parent usually has to remember a dozen different appointments for himself/herself and kids, at different places and different times. Of course parents should all write appointments down, all the time. But even then, there will always be someone who did, but left their notebook at home, or noted the event and the date but not the time, and has to call to check.

Just being human, I'd say

[Chile Pepper]

Ok, to be honest I understand the parents. If they didn't remember there WAS a special event I'd agree they were being clueless, but not remembering the time isn't that unusual. At any given time a parent usually has to remember a dozen different appointments for himself/herself and kids, at different places and different times. Of course parents should all write appointments down, all the time. But even then, there will always be someone who did, but left their notebook at home, or noted the event and the date but not the time, and has to call to check.

Just being human, I'd say

I'm with lph on this one. We're doing the best we can, considering how thin we are spread.

[Veronica]

I'm with lph on this one. We're doing the best we can, considering how thin we are spread.

But imagine being the office staff, receiving several phone calls, first thing in the morning when it's the most hectic in there.

It frustrates me because I've put the information out there several times to avoid inundating the office staff with needless phone calls.

So maybe I'm wasting my time creating notices and a website to keep parents informed.

Veronica